ACLU SoCal responds to use of force by a CA Highway Patrol Officer

Please attribute the following statement to Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California:

ACLU SoCal calls for a full investigation into use of force by a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer on Marlene Pinnock. We understand that in this incident, the CHP officer was responding to a call of a woman walking along a freeway, and the woman's state of mind was unclear. Officers are authorized to use force only when reasonably necessary to overcome force or danger posed by a subject. But disturbing video raises serious questions whether, in those circumstances, it could possibly be reasonable for the CHP officer to pin Ms. Pinnock to the ground and punch her repeatedly. The CHP must conduct a full investigation and report the results to the public. We hope the CHP’s investigation and the civil lawsuit already filed by Ms. Pinnock help identify problems and avoid any similar use of force in the future.